On Friday, July 31, the US added 43 Chinese companies to its import blacklist over allegations of forced labor of Uyghur Turks and other minorities. This move marked the first expansion of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) under President Donald Trump and the largest single addition since the law took effect in December 2021.
Among the blacklisted companies is Hunan Aihua Group, one of China’s leading capacitor manufacturers.
US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement, "Today the United States added 43 China-based companies to the list under the UFLPA. This law is a key tool designed to prevent goods made with forced labor from entering the US and to level the playing field for American companies."
Pigott added that the UFLPA, enacted in 2021, aims to keep products made with forced labor of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China from reaching the US market and to hold entities involved in such practices accountable.
The listed companies operate in a wide range of sectors, including pharmaceuticals, metallurgy, cotton, food and lithium production. With the latest decision, the total number of entities on the UFLPA list rose from 144 to 187.
The US has long accused China of operating forced labor camps targeting Uyghurs and other ethno-religious minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Beijing has repeatedly denied these allegations and rejects claims of human rights violations in the region.